Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

seadragon

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Mar 10, 2009
1,872
3,151
My handwriting is terrible and I'm usually the only one that can read it (should have been a doctor lol). As a result, I tend to type more than write.

Since getting my iPad Pro 9.7 and Pencil, I'm actually using it as a notepad. I'm writing more than ever before. Maybe it's just a novelty thing that will wear off, who knows? But so far, this combo is great as its a nice lightweight device that I can take notes with. Maybe my writing will actually improve if I keep at it.

How about you?
 
Absolutely! To great chagrin of my fellow students and coworkers. My handwriting isn't the best readable.
It annoys them even more when I show them goodnotes 4 is perfectly able to recognize and translate my writing into text!!
 
Maybe, I know not the best answer. I have a terrible habit of scribbling important notes on all kinds of bits of paper and then not knowing where I put the papers. So I am trying to use the iPad and pencil instead of my old crazy system. So far so good. Right now I am using notability and it is a really nice app, but I'd love to keep a variety of notes open and visible so I could view and shuffle them on the screen. Maybe there is a post-it style app out there I am not aware of?
 
  • Like
Reactions: jgelin
I write for a living, and I can't name a single one of my peers who use a tablet for their writing needs. I do all my writing on a Macbook Pro using MS Word. I do, however, use a tablet to do research and such. It's a great tool in that regard. But as far as a writing tool, you won't find a whole lot of professionals using a tablet to crank out their weekly paychecks. MacBooks and ThinkPads...that's all I ever see in my world of words.
 
I write for a living, and I can't name a single one of my peers who use a tablet for their writing needs. I do all my writing on a Macbook Pro using MS Word. I do, however, use a tablet to do research and such. It's a great tool in that regard. But as far as a writing tool, you won't find a whole lot of professionals using a tablet to crank out their weekly paychecks. MacBooks and ThinkPads...that's all I ever see in my world of words.

I agree.. at least that's what I see. I can write a bit on a tablet if it has a smart keyboard and I know exactly what to write in a short amount. If I have a fair bit of writing to do, nothing is as comfortable as doing on the Mac.
 
Sorry, I should have been more specific. I was wondering more about handwriting vs typing with the pencil and pro.
 
I grew up going to a Catholic school and had great handwriting, but in the many years that have passed since then, it's gotten sloppier and sloppier. Honestly, the only thing I ever write is signing my name as I type everything on a computer, tablet or phone. So no, it hasn't.
 
Yes, that's what I meant. Thanks.

Sorry, I think we posted at the same.

I wouldn't say I've written a ton but a considerable amount (multiple pages over the past couple weeks), and I've written more with the Pro and the Apple Pencil than I have in a long time. I would like the trend to continue. I'm really impressed with the writing experience and how quickly it became so natural to me. Pen and paper are usually close by, but not nearly as handy as the iPad I use every day.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: seadragon
Sorry, I think we posted at the same.

I wouldn't say I've written a ton but a considerable amount (multiple pages over the past couple weeks), and I've written more with the Pro and the Apple Pencil than I have in a long time. I would like the trend to continue. I'm really impressed with the writing experience and how quickly it became so natural to me. Pen and paper is usually close by, but not nearly as handy as the iPad I use every day.

Yes, that's pretty much my experience so far also.
 
  • Like
Reactions: CE3
My handwriting is terrible and I'm usually the only one that can read it (should have been a doctor lol). As a result, I tend to type more than write.

Since getting my iPad Pro 9.7 and Pencil, I'm actually using it as a notepad. I'm writing more than ever before. Maybe it's just a novelty thing that will wear off, who knows? But so far, this combo is great as its a nice lightweight device that I can take notes with. Maybe my writing will actually improve if I keep at it.

How about you?

I felt the same at first until I let myself admit that I could type faster on the apple kb than i could write.
 
Well, I have the Pencil and Smart Keyboard and am off to a work conference in
Atlanta tomorrow. I'm planning on using just the iPad Pro and accessories for taking notes and such. It will be a good test to see how it fits in.
 
Well, I have the Pencil and Smart Keyboard and am off to a work conference in
Atlanta tomorrow. I'm planning on using just the iPad Pro and accessories for taking notes and such. It will be a good test to see how it fits in.

Do what I did, if you want that is. I used the pencil for the first few events I had like school and a conference to take notes (if you keep the pencil get notesplus because it can translate full page writing into text), then I put the pencil away for the next few events and found I didn't miss it one bit. So maybe try the same on your trip.

I will note that, again, the pencil is amazing. Though, I don't see it yet as necessary unless your an artist or can't type as fast as you should in 2016. I will say that I would be very interested in the next pencil if it has an erase feature on the "eraser end" and maybe not so long, but just my preference I suppose.
 
  • Like
Reactions: seadragon
Funny you should mention it. Since getting the 12.9 a few weeks ago I draw more with the apple pencil and I love the smart keyboard so much I write more too. I have a few drawing prompt and writing prompt websites I keep bookmarked now. Loving this thing!
 
  • Like
Reactions: seadragon
Well, I have the Pencil and Smart Keyboard and am off to a work conference in
Atlanta tomorrow. I'm planning on using just the iPad Pro and accessories for taking notes and such. It will be a good test to see how it fits in.

What I often do, is download the PowerPoint/handouts from the presentation and open them in PowerPoint on my iPad. Then I choose to share them, as PDF, send them to myself in iMessage and have a full A4 page with lots of white space to write on, with in the middle the PowerPoint sheet. Others often have the presentation on one side of the screen and type in Word on the other half of the screen. But even with a 15" the word text gets pretty small and having just one document open is much easier.
And another bonus is that if you write, you seem/could remember more/better of the presentation.
Good trip & conference!
 
  • Like
Reactions: seadragon
I have actually got the pro because I like to write, and I'm still very much a list maker and handwriting kind of girl. I'm excited to be able to write down everything I want without having to keep track of all the paper notes.
 
I haven't tried this myself, but yes, there is an app. Maybe there are more, if you look.
Sticky - Beautiful Notebooks for iPad and iPhone by tewks
https://appsto.re/us/MV-Vv.i
Thank you very much I will give it a look see.

Since others have mentioned conferences, I had a meeting on Wednesday and I converted all the documents to PDFs and imported them into Notability. It allowed me to create a folder to put them all in and then I could write all over them with the Pencil and it was awesome. My notes now are right with the item it belongs to and not on a separate piece of paper that I likely will never look at again. It was a great experience.
 
Much more handwriting with 12.9 and pencil, and enjoying learning some drawing skills too.

I do a lot of early stage writing (typing and handwriting) on iPads, not always at a desk and not always at home, and then more detailed work in Scrivener.
 
I write for a living, and I can't name a single one of my peers who use a tablet for their writing needs. I do all my writing on a Macbook Pro using MS Word. I do, however, use a tablet to do research and such. It's a great tool in that regard. But as far as a writing tool, you won't find a whole lot of professionals using a tablet to crank out their weekly paychecks. MacBooks and ThinkPads...that's all I ever see in my world of words.

This is off topic but why MS word when apps like scrivener and Ulysses exist?
 
This is off topic but why MS word when apps like scrivener and Ulysses exist?

+1,
I write (technical) applications for grants, complex 6-12 page letters, juridical documents etc. Since I discovered Ulysses on my iPad, my writing has become more efficient, better coherent, just because of the clean layout and less distractions. I find it hard to state that a clean layout is responsible for that. So it might be a placebo effect, but what the heck, if it works? :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: artfossil
Do what I did, if you want that is. I used the pencil for the first few events I had like school and a conference to take notes (if you keep the pencil get notesplus because it can translate full page writing into text), then I put the pencil away for the next few events and found I didn't miss it one bit. So maybe try the same on your trip.

I will note that, again, the pencil is amazing. Though, I don't see it yet as necessary unless your an artist or can't type as fast as you should in 2016. I will say that I would be very interested in the next pencil if it has an erase feature on the "eraser end" and maybe not so long, but just my preference I suppose.

I can type much, much faster than I can write, but writing shouldn't always be about speed. You can take much more complex notes with the Pencil than if you stick to the limits of the keyboard. Equations, diagrams, connections between disparate sections, marking up documents; these are all things you can't do with the keyboard. And there is a significant body of evidence that indicates handwritten notes are retained better than typed ones.

For my personal writing, I'be been handwriting them on the old iPads, and my Surfaces for years. Again, I much prefer handwriting to typing - speed is not the issue - I just prefer the writing process when I write it by hand. The Pencil is by far the best tool available for this on any platform - and the 9.7" iPP with the Pencil and keyboard is what I've wanted from the iPad from day 1. The perfect portable notebook that is a perfect reading device, a great notebook, and close to a laptop replacement.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.